Walt Disney World vacation tips?

This July, we will be traveling to Orlando, Florida for a family reunion. My maternal grandmother will turn 90 while we are all gathered together. We just bit the bullet and bought plane tickets for 4 this weekend. Orlando in summertime: pricey! And that's just the plane tickets.

Now I am starting to think about park tickets to Disney World, character breakfasts, etc. It's seems ironic to be asking, since I worked at Walt Disney World for 5 years, but that was way back in the '90s, and I do really need your tips on this kind of vacation with kids. When I worked there, I was foot-loose and fancy-free. Not married. No kids. And of course, I worked there, so park entrance was free!!

So here's my questions:

• How many days do we spend going to the parks for a week-long visit? My kids will be 6 and 4 next summer.
• Do you think the Character Breakfasts are worth it? If so, which is your favorite? (My girls both are enamored of princesses).
• Do you do the themed water parks, or take a day trip and head to one of the coasts for a beach day? If so, which beach?
• What should I feed my shrimpy 3-year-old now so that she'll be tall enough to ride the good rides next summer?
• Bring a stroller? Rent? Make 'em walk?

Looking forward to learning all the Disney World family travel tips you might have!

Comments

[Anne]

I just went to Disneyland this September. Two girls. 6 & 4. The younger one hit that magic 40" mark about 1 day before our trip. We brought a "sit and stand stroller and it was worth it! The first day they began by walking, but by the end of the day they only wanted to ride in the stroller. We also were sure to go on a Monday and Tuesday - avoided the weekend crowds. I have the "unofficial guide to Disneyland" and it helped prepare me a bit. We had a great time!

[April]

Do check out the guide books; they have some great tips. One idea in the book is to start "training" your kids beforehand. Take them on long outings that require lots of walking to get them ready. Also, try to stay close to the park so you can go back to the hotel to relax mid-day (which is the hottest and most crowded anyway). Although Disney says you can't bring food in, you can pack a few sandwiches and snacks. I'd skip the water parks. I'd plan on 4 days at the parks, since there are now 4 parks to see. Good luck and have fun!

[Amy]

We did Disney with our oldest when he was a baby and yes, it is a completely different experience. Get a guidebook and study the park map, then make a list of what is most age-appropriate and be ruthless about keeping it short. At ages 6 and 4, for example, they won't get much out of Disney-MGM, which is geared toward tweens and teens. So skip that one - now you're down to three parks. Take the same approach within parks. At the Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland skews older, so cut some of your time there and spend it instead at Fantasyland. Take advantage of little kids being early risers - get to the park a half hour before opening and you'll be headed for the exits by the time everyone else is arriving. As for lodgings, with kids it is worth the splurge to stay at a Disney property because they run free buses with door-to-door service - you get off at the park entrance and when you're ready to leave, the buses are right there at the exit (we never had to wait for one). Disney has opened quite a few hotels geared to budget-conscious families, including on-site laundromats. As for park tickets, if you are a AAA member, you can buy them at a discount at any AAA office ahead of time. But the smartest thing we did was make dinner reservations BEFORE we left home - many of the restaurants are so busy that you risk a long wait if you just show up at 6:30. Breakfast and lunch are not as bad; it helps if you eat at off-peak hours. On the one occasion when we had to change our dinner plans at the last minute, I spent about 20 minutes on the phone with central dining reservations. Oh, and I would bring a personal stroller. It's nice to have somewhere to put your stuff, and the Disney strollers are pretty uncomfortable - they are just big slabs of molded plastic. Plus the lines to pick them/drop them off get very long at the times when you least want to be standing in line with kids. Hope that helps!

[Phyllis]

Have fun! From years of traveling with and without children, we've learned that an afternoon nap is a great way to keep the trip feeling like a vacation. It is the hottest time of day. Everyone feels a lot more rested and ready to go. Down time is really important. There's stress on your body and mind when you travel - even when you're having fun. That afternoon rest does wonders for us!

[Julie]

I live in FL and know WDW well.

Do not make them walk. By the end of the day you will want a double stroller of some sort. The ones they rent don't look too comfy, but that's just personal opinion.

I think staying on property (and we've made the rounds) is a great choice for afternoon rest time. It's also a great way to beat the heat. Some of the resorts even have mini-waterparks that would be good enough for a 4 and 6 year old. The Yacht and Beach Clubs share the pirate ship slides and sandy bottom pool. The Boardwalk has slides and stuff as well. If you choose to go to a water park, so a Disney one (Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon). You won't be disappointed.

In addition to character breakfasts, one of the resorts (I think it is the Grand Floridian) does a Princess Tea Party. you don't have to be staying there to take part. Your girls may enjoy that better, since it's just for them.

Are you getting Park Hoppers? There is a lot of kid stuff at Animal Kingdom as well as the classic Magic Kingdom. I would skip EPCOT this trip (and probably skip MGM too).

Spend some time at Downtown Disney while you're there. Great shopping (Lego store, Pooh corner, etc) and good eats (Bongo's!).

[Terry]

We took our two princesses (age almost 6 and 4) to Disney a few months ago and had an amazing trip. Here are my suggestions:
1 - Definintely stay on-property. Being able to go back to the hotel mid-day is vital to having a good time. I would suggest staying at the best hotel you can afford. While the value hotels are very affordable, the lines for the bus to the parks and the lines at the end of the day are CRAZY - your kids are exhausted and you have to wait 30 minutes or more for a bus sometimes. If you can afford Fort Wilderness lodge, it's a great bet - and you can take a boat to the Magic Kingdom.
2 - The princess breakfast at Epcot in Norway is AMAZING (I think the restaurant is called Aukerhouse - something like that, anyway). You meet 3 - 4 princesses, and your kids have plenty of time to talk to them take pictures, etc. It really is worth the price. We actually went there for dinner and the food was ok - very Norwegian, which was not my husband's favorite - but I've heard the breakfast food is more "normal" and the princess experience is the same. If your daughters are anything like mine (princesses in training), you cannot miss this.
3 - While you're in Epcot, you should also go to China if your kids like Mulan - it's the only place you can find her anywhere at Disney World. We also found Jasmine in Morocco and I think we saw Belle in France. Other than the princess run-ins, the World Showcase wasn't that exciting for the kids. Future World had some fun stuff -Soarin was definitely the highlight, but my little one wasn't tall enough to ride that one.
4 - I wouldn't spend more than one day at Epcot - a late princess breakfast in Norway - try to get the latest reservation they have and pick up fast-pass tickets for Soarin on your way over to the world showcase. If you take it easy in Epcot and don't try to see everything, you can spend the whole day there and see Illuminations that night - definitely worth the wait (and this is the reason you don't want to get there too early in the morning).
5 - If your girls love Ariel, you might want to consider going to MGM for a day. They have a great Little Mermaid show - we saw it 3 times when we were there, but my girls love Ariel. There's also a Little Einsteins/Jojo's Circus breakfast at Hollywood and Vine that my kids enjoyed. The other MGM thing I would recommend is Fantasmic - you may have seen this before, but watching it with your kids is just amazing - mine were completely captivated by it.
6 - Animal Kingdom is fun, I would plan one day there. It's a short day because the park closes so early, but that works if you are planning a long/late Epcot trip the following day. My kids loved the safari and the Pocohantas show. They were too scared to go on the scary dinosaur rides, so we missed those - maybe next time!
7 - You worked there, so you know how to navigate the Magic Kingdom - if your kids are into rides, you definitely need 2 days there at least.
8 - Strollers - This is a judgement call. The double stroller at the park is nice and roomy and easy to get in and out of - we didn't bother to strap the kids in. The only problem with renting a stroller there is that the walk to and from the parking lots to the park entrance and the walk from your room to the transportation are pretty long. This is not an issue in the morning when everyone's excited and rested, but at the end of the day, when the kids have fallen asleep in the rental and you're carrying them. . . bottom line, it depends on your kids - we brought our double stroller and ended up renting one by the second day in the park.
9 - My kids are freaked out by giant costumed things, so we didn't bother with any character meals other than Little Einstein/Jojo and princesses.
10 - The only other thing I'll mention is the breakfast/lunch at Cinderella's castle. We did the lunch and it was great - lots of princesses, but Cinderella is not actually at the lunch - she's just in the lobby of the castle for pictures. This was fine for us, but might be a disappointment for a kid who loves her. Being in the castle was just cool - the kids were on a cloud.
Wow - I have gone on and on, haven't I? I hope this info was helpful. If not, I hope it was entertaining. Have a great trip!!

[St. Maarten Condo]

My family was there last year,we took our vacation there.Since we come there in a hot weather,i assure that my kids are comfortable with their clothes.We took a nap also in the afternoon before we go in one place.We bring food instead of eating in the restaurant.

-Sarah

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